University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Announces 2004 Schedule
September 22, 2003 | Baseball
Sept. 22, 2003
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - With games against defending national champion Rice and College World Series participants Miami and South Carolina highlighting its upcoming non-conference slate, the University of North Carolina baseball team announced its 2004 schedule Monday. In all, the Tar Heels are scheduled to play 22 games against teams that played in the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
"We certainly are playing a very difficult schedule once again," said UNC head coach Mike Fox, who is entering his sixth season in Chapel Hill. "It's exciting for our players to face this type of competition. We play the defending national champions early in the season and that will be a great test for us."
Carolina will face Rice on Feb. 27 in its first game at the Owls' home tournament. Joining the Tar Heels and Rice in the tournament are Nebraska and Northwestern State. Carolina heads to Miami, May 14-16, for a three-game set in Coral Gables, while the Tar Heels will renew their rivalry with South Carolina at Knight's Stadium in Charlotte on March 31.
Other NCAA Tournament opponents on the schedule include Florida State (March 26-28 in Chapel Hill), Georgia Tech (April 9-11 in Atlanta), Clemson (April 16-18 in Chapel Hill), NC State (May 20-22 in Chapel Hill), Princeton (March 16-17 in Chapel Hill), Coastal Carolina (April 13 in Chapel Hill) and Virginia Commonwealth (May 11 in Chapel Hill).
Carolina opens Atlantic Coast Conference play at Virginia, March 19-21, and the first conference home series is against the Seminoles, March 26-28.
"We're in an extremely tough conference," said Fox. "We have outstanding teams, coaches and players. Nine of our first 12 conference games are on the road, which is a tough way to start."
In addition to the trip to Charlottesville, the Tar Heels also go on the road against Wake Forest and Georgia Tech in the first half of the conference season. In the second half of the ACC slate, Carolina hosts Clemson (April 16-18), Maryland (May 7-9) and NC State (May 20-22) and travels to Duke (April 23-25).
The ACC Tournament will played May 26-30 in Salem, Va., and NCAA Regional play is June 4-6, while the NCAA Super Regionals are scheduled for June 11-13. The 2004 College World Series is June 18-28 in Omaha, Neb.
Three Carolina games are scheduled to be televised: at Georgia Tech on April 10, Maryland on May 8 and NC State on May 22.
The Tar Heels, who went 42-23 in 2003, are coming off their first NCAA Regional victory since 1989. After winning the Starkville Regional with a win against Missouri and a pair of victories over host Mississippi State, Carolina came within two wins of a trip to the College World Series.
--TarHeelBlue.com--
